Obesity and associated pathologies have dramatic consequences on patients’lives as well as high societal costs. Because of the role of intestinal dysbiosis and microbiota make-up on the pathogenesis of ... [more ▼]

Obesity and associated pathologies have dramatic consequences on patients’lives as well as high societal costs. Because of the role of intestinal dysbiosis and microbiota make-up on the pathogenesis of obesity, several strategies such as eating prebiotics and dietary fibre supplements are being investigated to reshape the intestinal microbial communities of obese patients. Beyond supplement, dietary fibre is supplied through plant ingredients in the meals. In the framework of the multidisciplinary research project Food4Gut, the use of vegetables rich in specific targeted dietary fiber, namely fructans, is being scrutinized for its ability to induce positive changes in the intestinal ecophysiology. Because expected effect might differ according the content in dietary fibre and fructans, the soluble:insoluble ratio, as well as the cooking of the vegetables, the fermentation patterns of several vegetables are being investigated in an dual in vitro model combining enzymatic hydrolysis to an in vitro fermentation step using faecal inoculums from humans, to evaluate the performance of gut microbiota, modulation of metabolic functions. Six vegetables were sampled in triplicates (N=3) and steamed for 20 to 30 min.: Jerusalem artichoke, salsify, asparagus, pumpkin, fennel and swede. They were chosen because they display a variety of contents in fructans, soluble (SDF) and insoluble dietaryfibre (IDF). Steamed vegetable samplesand burgers from local fast food restaurants (negative control) were hydrolyzed in vitro why porcine pepsin and pancreatin to mimic digestion in the upper gut and indigested fiber residues were recover using a 6kDa dialysis membrane.Subsequently, in vitro fermentation is being run with independent fecal inoculums from obese and lean patients (N=4). Fermentation kinetics over 24h as well as short-chain fatty acid production and profiles will be compared according to the individual donor and the vegetable species and multivariate analysis will be used to explore the relationships between donor, vegetable species and composition and fermentation patterns. [less ▲]

The effects of tropical forage legumes on feed intake, growth performance and carcass traits were investigated in 16 groups of two Large White × Duroc pigs. The diets consisted of a commercial ... [more ▼]

The effects of tropical forage legumes on feed intake, growth performance and carcass traits were investigated in 16 groups of two Large White × Duroc pigs. The diets consisted of a commercial corn–soybean meal diet as the basal diet and three forage-supplemented diets. Four groups of control pigs received daily 4 % of body weight of the basal diet, and 12 groups of experimental pigs were fed the basal diet at 3.2 % of body weight completed with fresh leaves of one of the three forage legumes (Psophocarpus scandens, Stylosanthes guianensis and Vigna unguiculata) ad libitum. The study lasted 90 days. The in vitro digestion and fermentation of the forage legumes were also determined. The in vitro digestible energy content of the legumes was between 0.72 and 0.77 that of the basal diet (14.4 MJ/kg dry matter (DM)). V. unguiculata was the most digestible forage legume expected for crude protein digestibility. Feeding forage legumes lowered the dry matter intake by 4.5 to 9.6 % (P< 0.05), final body weight (P= 0.013), slaughter weight, average daily gain and hot carcass weight (P< 0.05) without affecting the feed conversion ratio (FCR), dressing percentage and back fat thickness. In conclusion, using forage to feed pig could be interesting in pig smallholder productionwith limited access to concentrate, as FCR was not significantly affected. [less ▲]

Forage legumes (FL) are used in tropical countries to feed pigs, either by reducing allowance of well-balanced diets and supplementing with FL or by incorporating FL in unbalanced fibre-rich diets. The ... [more ▼]

Forage legumes (FL) are used in tropical countries to feed pigs, either by reducing allowance of well-balanced diets and supplementing with FL or by incorporating FL in unbalanced fibre-rich diets. The impact of both strategies on animal and economical performances was studied in 2 growth experiments. In Exp. 1, 4 groups of 8 growing pigs (25.5 +- 4.2 kg) were fed under one of 4 dietary treatment: a well-balanced diet (CONTROL) ad libitum or 80% of the ad libitum level of CONTROL + ad libitum freshly cut foliage of one of 3 FL species (Vigna unguiculata, Stylosanthes guinanensis, or Psophocarpens scandens). Similarly, in Exp. 2, 4 groups of 6 pigs (22.6 +- 3.7 kg) were fed one of 4 experimental diets: the well-balanced diet (CONTROL), an unbalanced traditional diet rich in fibre and made of bran, brewers grain, and corn (TRAD) or 80% TRAD diet supplemented with 20% of one of 2 FL hays (V. unguiculata or S. guinanensis). Animals were regularly weighed and feed intake was monitored. After 90d, animals were slaughtered and carcass composition and economic traits were recorded to calculate production costs and economical value. In addition, nutritive value of the FL and the diets was assessed by means of an in vitro model of the pig digestive tract combining an enzymatic hydrolysis to a fermentation with a fecal inoculum. Results indicate that pigs fed diets with FL (Exp.1) and TRAD with and without FL (Exp.2) had reduced ADG, final live and carcass weights (P<0.05) compared to CONTROL pigs. Surprisingly , dry matter intake (DMI) was also reduced by 10% with those diets compared to CONTROL (P<0.001) in both experiments. In Exp. 1, FCR and carcass dressing were not affected by the 20% reduction in CONTROL diet and supplementation with fresh FL, while in Exp. 2 those parameters were negatively affected in TRAD with and without FL compared to CONTROL pigs. In vitro data showed that differences in nutritive values explained most differences in growth performances and carcass traits, but not the decrease in intake, since passage rate and voluntary intake are not taken into account in the in vitro model. Economical assessment showed that fresh foliage of FL could increase incomes, as long as their production costs remain marginal, but the incorporation of FL hays could not improve economical performances in pigs fed traditional unbalanced fibre-rich diets. [less ▲]

Globally, pressure on concentrate feed resources is increasing, especially in the tropics where many countries are net importers of food. Forage plants are a possible alternative but their use as feed ... [more ▼]

Globally, pressure on concentrate feed resources is increasing, especially in the tropics where many countries are net importers of food. Forage plants are a possible alternative but their use as feed ingredients for pigs raises several issues related to their higher fibre and plant secondary metabolites contents as well as their lower nutritive value. In this paper, the nutritive value of several forage species as well as the parameters that influence this nutritive value in relationship to the plant family, the physiological stage, the plant part and the preservation method (fresh, hay and silage) are reviewed. The influence of the breed and the physiological status of the animal on animal voluntary intake of fibre-rich ingredients, digestibility as related to gastrointestinal volume and transit time and growth performances are also discussed. The final section highlights the assets and drawbacks of forage plants in pig diets and stresses the need for proper economic evaluation to conclude on the benefits of the use of forage plants in pig feed. [less ▲]

he effects of four tropical forage legume hays (Vigna unguiculata, Psophocarpus scandens, Pueraria phaseoloides and Stylosanthes guianensis) on voluntary feed intake (VFI) and their nutritive value were studied in growing pigs using a corn-soybean meal-based diet containing varying proportions of forage legume hays (0, 10, 20 and 40 % or 0, 12.5 and 25 % for VFI and nutritive value determination, respectively). There was no difference in VFI between species (P > 0.20), but a linear response to forage inclusion level (P < 0.05) was observed decreasing from 126 for 0 % to approximately 84 g/kg of body weight for the 40 % forage diets, except for V. unguiculata, where the response was quadratic (P = 0.01). All four forage species linearly decreased the total tract apparent digestibility (TTAD) from 0.76 to 0.61, 0.80 to 0.68, 0.54 to 0.40 and 0.58 to 0.31 except for S. guianensis (0.44) for DM, N, NDF and N retention, respectively. Differences in digestibility (P < 0.05) between species were also observed. Due to their negative influence on the overall digestibility, the contribution of hays should not exceed 12.5 %, except for S. guianensis, in which N retention remained quite high (0.44) at the highest inclusion level (25 %). P. phaseoloides hay should be avoided in pigs as it combines the lowest VFI with the lowest nutrient digestibility [less ▲]

The use of forage species to feed pig goes back to immemorial times. If forage is no longer used in industrial farms with genetically-improved breeds, its accounts for an important part of pig diets in ... [more ▼]

The use of forage species to feed pig goes back to immemorial times. If forage is no longer used in industrial farms with genetically-improved breeds, its accounts for an important part of pig diets in smallholder pig production systems in tropical areas including the Western provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The aim of this research thesis was to assess the relevancy of the use of local forage resources as a strategy to reduce reliance of pig production systems on concentrate feed ingredients in tropical environment, by identifying plant species available to smallholders with interesting nutritional value that could partly replace concentrates in the diets. First, smallholder pig production systems in two western provinces of the DRC were characterized and the most used forage species in pigs identified. Their nutritional value was determined using an in vitro model of the pig’s gastro-intestinal tract. It was concluded that Manihot esculenta, Ipomoea batatas, Moringa oleifera, and legume species exhibit an interesting profile for feeding pigs while grasses, Eichhornia crassipes, Acacia mangium and Cajanus cajan should be discouraged. Feeding values of Psophocarpus scandens, Vigna unguiculata, Stylosanthes guianensis, and Pueraria. phaseoloides were measured by assessing the voluntary feed intake of forage hays-based diets and their digestibility. Finally, the economic impact of feeding Psophocarpus scandens, Vigna unguiculata, and Stylosanthes guianensis, was measured through growth performance, carcass quality, and production costs determination. It is concluded that although forage species reduce the nutritive value and the growth of animals, the investigated legumes do not impact negatively the economical balance of concentrate-fed pigs when forage accounts for approx. 10 % of the diet. The ability of some forage species to improve performances of animals fed ill-balanced diets as usually practiced by smallholder farmers in the DRC should be investigated as it is suspected that under less favourable conditions, conclusions on the usefulness of forage legumes in pigs might be more positive [less ▲]

In Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, integrated farming of livestock and fish farming is little documented while it is an interesting way of ecological intensification systems. After ... [more ▼]

In Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, integrated farming of livestock and fish farming is little documented while it is an interesting way of ecological intensification systems. After identifying the density of fish ponds in the territory of the city using satellite images, about 200 farms with at least one pond and located in 2 in peri-urban and rural areas were surveyed to characterize the practical integration of the agricultural system. The preliminary results in one of the valleys indicate that the practice of agriculture in synergy with the pig and fish farming is a common practice although flow of components are still insufficiently integrated and some of them are not optimized . The fish - pig farming associations with or without vegetable production are 44 % of the sample. The identification of flow on farms showed that the manure of pigs is mainly used for crops (51%) or sold (28%), while a small part is used to fertilize the ponds. This may be explained by the predominant share of income (67%) devoted to vegetable production while sludge of ponds is rarely used to fertilize area of vegetable production. Residues of vegetable crops are rarely used to feed pigs and fish because of their limited availability. Feeding pigs and fish is based primarily on agro-industrial by-products such as wheat bran (81%) and the spent brewery grains (62%) and forages (62%). The presentation will analyze the results obtained in the three sites visited and outline opportunities for improvement. [less ▲]

The nutritive value of 20 forage plants commonly used for feeding pigs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was studied to determine chemical composition, protein amino acid profiles, mineral content, and in vitro digestibility using a two-step method combining an enzymatic pepsin and pancreatin hydrolysis followed by a 72 h gas-test fermentation. The highest protein contents (270–320 g/kg DM) were obtained for Vigna unguiculata, Psophocarpus scandens, Leucaena leucocephala, Manihot esculenta, and Moringa oleifera. Grasses, Acacia mangium, and Eichhornia crassipes, showed the lowest crude protein (CP) and highest NDF contents. Cajanus cajan and Trypsacum andersonii had the most balanced amino acid profile, being deficient in lysine and slightly deficient in histidine, while Megathyrsus maximus displayed the highest number of essential amino acids deficiencies. High mineral contents were obtained from, in ascending order, with M. oleifera, V. unguiculata, E. crassipes, Ipomea batatas and Amaranthus hybridus. In vitro dry matter digestibility ranged from 0.25 to 0.52, in vitro CP digestibility from 0.23 to 0.80, in vitro energy digestibility from 0.23 to 0.52. M. esculenta, M. oleifera, I. batatas, Mucuna pruriens, V. unguiculata, P. scandens and A. hybridus showed high digestibilities for all nutrients. Gas production during fermentation of the pepsin and pancreatin-indigestible fraction of the plants varied from 42 ml/g DM for A. mangium to 202 ml/g DM for I. batatas (P<0.001). Short-chain fatty acid production during fermentation varied from 157 to 405 mg/g of the pepsin and pancreatin indigestible fraction. It is concluded that some of these species are interesting sources of proteins and minerals with a good digestibility that might be used more economically than concentrate, especially in smallholder production systems, to improve pig feeding, mineral intake and intestinal health in pigs reared in the tropics. [less ▲]

in Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics (2014), 115

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), pigs are raised almost exclusively by smallholders either in periurban areas of major cities such as Kinshasa or in rural villages. Unfortunately, little ... [more ▼]

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), pigs are raised almost exclusively by smallholders either in periurban areas of major cities such as Kinshasa or in rural villages. Unfortunately, little information is available regarding pig production in the Western part of the DRC, wherefore a survey was carried out to characterize and compare 319 pig production systems in their management and feeding strategies, along a periurban - rural gradient in Western provinces of the DRC. Pig breeding was the main source of income (43 %) and half of respondent were active in mixed pig and crop production, mainly vegetable garden. Depending on the location, smallholders owned on average 18 pigs, including four sows. Piglet mortality rate varied from 9.5 to 21.8% while average weaned age ranged between 2.2 and 2.8 months. The major causes of mortality reported by the farmers were African swine fever 98%, Swine erysipelas (60%), erysipelas trypanosomiasis (31 %), Swine worm infection (17 %), and diarrhoea (12 %). The majority of the pigs were reared in pens without free roaming and fed essentially with locally available by-products and forage plants whose nature varied according with the location of the farm. The pig production systems depended on the local environment; particularly in terms of workforces, herd structure and characteristics, production parameters, pig building materials, selling price and in feed resources. It can be concluded that an improvement of Congolese pig production systems should consider (1) a reduction of inbreeding, (2) an improvement in biosafety to reduce the incidence of African swine fever and the spread of other diseases, and (3) an improvement in feeding practices. [less ▲]

The incorporation of fibrous feed ingredients such as legume forages in the diets of pigs can be economically interesting due to their low cost and the fact that they do not compete with human food ... [more ▼]

The incorporation of fibrous feed ingredients such as legume forages in the diets of pigs can be economically interesting due to their low cost and the fact that they do not compete with human food. Psophocarpus scandens and Vigna unguiculata are potential protein pig resources. Due to their negative effect on the overall digestibility of the diets, the contribution of tropical forage legumes to the diet should not exceed 25 %. TFL can be potential sources of protein for small scale tropical pig farms, preferably in adult pigs. [less ▲]

Incorporation of forages in the diets can improve the economics of smallholder pig production in tropical countries. However, the information on the nutritive value of fibrous crop by-products and forages ... [more ▼]

Incorporation of forages in the diets can improve the economics of smallholder pig production in tropical countries. However, the information on the nutritive value of fibrous crop by-products and forages species used as ingredients in pig diets is scarce. The present work aimed at measuring the chemical composition and the nutritive value using an in vitro model of the pig gastro-intestinal tract of 21 ingredients used by farmers in the province of Bas-Congo (D.R. Congo). [less ▲]